flax seeds in smoothies?

[eatyourbroccoli]

i was wondering if adding soaked flax seeds to a smoothie without grinding is a good/bad idea, and whether it's beneficial?

i bought whole flax seeds, and i don't have a grinder.

or should i just run out to walmart and get a cheap coffee or spice grinder?

i'm also soaking them for 6 or so hours..does this sound correct?

thanks guys

[Arky]

It very much depends on the calibre of your blender. I have a NewGena (virtually identical to a VitaMix) and I often add unsoaked flaxseed straight into my smoothies. The blender is easily powerful enough to macerate the flaxseeds without needing to soak or grind them first. However, if you have a cheaper blender you may not be so successful in breaking down the flaxseeds into a worthwhile particle size, although pre-soaking will obviously have a huge influence on this.

If you do have a decent blender and want to go ahead and grind unsoaked flaxseeds 'in the mix', rather than seperately, I suggest you add a little water to the empty jug and then add the flaxseeds, prior to the rest of the smoothie contents. This will reduce the likelihood of the high-power flaxseed-blending damaging enzymes in the greens. Alternatively, if you have a Vitamix ior similar, with an appropriate dry-grinding jug (the NewGena uses the same jug for eather purpose), you can use the blender to dry grind the flaxseed and then add this to your smoothie in the conventional way.

Ideally, I would, despite the power of my blender, pre-soak my flaxseeds. The reason I often add dry flaxseeds to my smoothies is simply for practical reasons - it is not always convenient for me to take the time to soak this that and the other, which is why I am so glad I made the investment in a powerful blender to 'cheat' a little, every now and then. Not perfect, but, all things considered, adequate ;)

For other viewpoints on this subject, check out the following thread:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14558


J.

[Migrou]

I bought my grinder for 7$ and love to grind 2 tbs to add to my green smoothie. I figure that I get more nutrients from grounded flax seeds.

[jenna rose]

I have a cheap-o coffee grinder that I use to grind up the flax seeds. I won't add them in whole because I figure my body won't absorb them and they are so hard that my teeth and my blender won't crush'em up.

[Brianna]

I recommend a coffee grinder for flaxseeds. I used to have a flaxseed grinder, and acutally , the coffee grinder works better.